The Son of Kal-El
by Brendan Aurabolt
Summary: Set post MoS. The Man of Steel gave the world an ideal to strive for. What can his son do for him? One-Shot.


The Son of Kal-El

by Brendan Aurabolt

Rated: T

Category: Man of Steel (Superman)

A/N: An idea I had floating around in my head after listening to the theme for Man of Steel. I saw the movie in theaters for the second time yesterday and that helped me piece this together.

Enjoy.

XxX

After helping a plane experiencing engine trouble land safely in Germany, Clark flew back Metropolis and changed back into his regular clothes in time to see a text message awaiting him on his cell phone from Lois:

"_My water broke. Get your ass here NOW."_

According to the time stamp, she sent the text thirty minutes ago. Almost completely forgetting about his cover, Clark speed ran all the way to their apartment 20 blocks away. He nearly pulled the door off its hinges as he burst into the apartment. He found his fiance panting and sweating in the bedroom they shared. She was wearing pajama pants, sandals and a red tank top that barely covered her swelled belly.

"I got here as soon as I could." he said as he helped her to the window balcony their apartment connected to. "You alright?"

"Other than feeling a half-Kryptonian baby make a break for it? Just perfect." she replied. Clark was relieved to see despite the situation she still had her sense of humor. "I think you'd better change, Kent."

Clark sped-ran into their bedroom, changed into his Kryptonian body suit and returned to Lois in ten seconds. When he returned Lois holding her belly. "You alright?" he asked her.

"I think someone's already looking to take after dad." she replied as Clark used his X-ray vision to check on the baby. Its head was down and its head was already in the birth canal. If he was a human their baby would be born right then and there.

"Time to go." Clark said as he scooped her up bridal style and flew into the air. He flew too fast to be tracked by satellites but not too fast for Lois to breathe. The military knew not to react when he suddenly appeared on radar in Smallville fortunately.

"Mom!" he exclaimed upon landing outside the Kent home. Clark rebuilt the house in three hours after General Zod trashed it. Martha Kent emerged from the house and ran to them. Neither had to say anything for her to know it was time.

"Come on." Martha said as she led the way into the house. She led them to the guest room where Clark gently placed Lois on the bed. "Clark, change your clothes and go fill up the-"

"Done." he said. Lois and Martha looked and saw that Clark was dressed in blue jeans, a white teen shirt and boots. The sound of running water in the room behind them let them know the tub was filling with water.

"By the way, does Perry know you're...?" Martha asked Lois.

"Giving birth, yes." She replied, adding "And that Clark is the father. He doesn't know Clark is Kal-El, or Superman as some people call him. Even if he did he wouldn't tell anyone." They'd talked about it and it was decided Lois would give birth at the Kent house in Smallville. After they'd found Clark the Kents took took him to the hospital where he checked out as a normal healthy infant. He didn't become aware of his powers until that incident in the second grade.

"I'll be right back." Clark said before going outside. The sound of a sonic boom told Lois and Martha he was flying off somewhere. Clark flew to the crashed Kryptonian scout ship where it went down outside Metropolis. With a great amount of time and effort he was able to get the computers back online.

The ship would never fly again but Clark had come from a different purpose. Zod thought he'd purged all traces of Jor-El's AI from the computer but Kal-El was able to bring him back. It was for this reason he'd come. "What is it, my son?" Jor-El asked as he materialized next to Clark.

"Lois about to give birth." he explained. "Would you like to meet your grandchild?" Upon hearing this Jor-El smiled warmly.

"Of course." he replied.

A short time later Clark returned to the Kent home. Doing as Jor-El instructed he connected the portable computer he brought with him into his desktop computer. When he booted up the device Jor-El appeared next to him. No sooner had Jor-El appeared they heard the sounds of a baby crying in the bathroom. Clark burst into the bathroom where he found Lois holding a baby.

"It's a boy." Martha announced. "A healthy baby boy."

"A son." Clark whispered, in shock himself. "I'm a father!"

"That's not too far off from my reaction when you were born, Kal." Jor-El remarked as he stepped into the bathroom.

"Clark, who's that?" Martha asked as Lois gasped in surprise.

"This is my father, Jor-El." Clark introduced, adding "My Krpytonian father. Jor-El this is Martha Kent, my mother. I believe you've already met Lois."

"It's an honor to finally meet you." Martha said as she stood She tried to shake his hand but her hand went through him.

"I am a mere shadow of the man I once was." Jor-El explained. "I left a part of me with the ship that brought Kal-El to Earth to guide him. If she were here his mother would be as proud as I am to have seen the man our son was raised to be."

"As would his father, Johnathan." Martha replied in turn as she smiled somberly. Even without saying it Jor-El knew at once Clark's earthly father was no longer alive.

"It sounds like we have much to discuss Mrs. Kent." Jor-El said as he showed her the door." She nodded approvingly and followed him into the hallway, closing the door behind them. This left the new family alone. As Clark sat next to Lois he couldn't be happier.

"My God, he's beautiful." Lois whispered. "When I first met Jor-El he mentioned you were sent to earth shortly after you were born. He never had the chance to watch you grow up."

"Even if Zod didn't kill him he wouldn't have had the chance." Clark replied, nodding. "I was the first Kryptonian naturally born in nearly 20,000 years. Our son is the first Kryptonian born since Krypton's destruction 33 years ago. It's a lot to take in."

"What should we name him?" Lois asked, adding "Assuming we give him an Earth name."

"My name on Earth is Clark but my Kryptonian name is Kal-El." Clark pointed out. "I was thinking something that begins with L."

"How about...Lucian?" Lois asked. "Lucian Kent."

"I like the sound of it." Clark replied. "It means Light. My Krpytonian surname means hope. Lucian-El Kent. It fits perfectly."

XxX

"I wanted him to live as one of you, to discover where his strength and your power is needed." Jor-El said as he and Martha spoke in the living room. "I know he will always hold in his heart the pride of his special heritage."

"That's the same thing his father—Johnathan-told him when he was frustrated." Martha replied. "We didn't know why Clark was sent to us but my husband strongly believed he was sent here for a reason and when the time came, we would know." Hearing this, Jor-El couldn't help but smile.

"Humans can be a great people, Mrs. Kent, they wish to be." he remarked. "They only lack the light to show the way. It was for this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them Kal-El...Clark...my only son."

"The weight of such a burden...If he'd known back then what he knows now, I fear he could bear the burden of being one of the last of his kind." Martha said after a long pause. "And as the whole world saw not all Kryptonians are like Clark."

"One can easily say the same about you and your husband." Jor-El replied as he grinned. "If the son I adopted demonstrated he had powers beyond my comprehension I'm not sure if I would be as patient and understanding as you."

"Oh, there were times where we just shook our heads." Martha said as they chuckled. "It's as you said Jor-El. You can only show them the way. It's up to them to take that first step."

XxX

"You will travel far, my little Lucian." Clark said as he held his son. "The richness of our lives shall be yours. All that I have, all that I've learned, everything I feel... all this, and more, I... I give to you, my son. You will carry me inside you, all the days of your life. You will make my strength your own, and see my life through your eyes, as your life will be seen through mine. The son becomes the father, and the father the son."

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you're looking to get him ready for your other line of work." Lois remarked as she grinned.

"Only if he wants to do it." he replied. "It has to be his decision and we have plenty of time before that day comes."

"He will defy gravity." Lois noted.

"He will look like everyone else." Clark countered.

"He'll be odd. Different."

"He'll be fast. Virtually invulnerable."

"He will be an outcast. They'll kill him."

"How? He'll be a god to them."

"He'll be isolated. Alone."

"He will not be alone." Clark finished, referring to himself. "He will never be alone."

XxX

Seventeen years passed since the birth of Lucian. Lois and Clark went on to have two more children in that time. As Lucian grew he became aware of his powers as his father did before him. Clark was there to help him control the power he inherited from his father. After watching Lucian rescue passengers on a boat that had capsized he decided the time had come to tell him everything.

"I'll take him to meet Jor-El tonight." Clark said to Lois that afternoon. "The time has come for Lucian to decide how he's going to use his power on Earth."

"What if he chooses...well, you know." she replied after a long pause. "Not saying you'll let him but just wondering."

"If I don't step in I'm sure Batman would be more than happy to." he replied, chuckling. "Hopefully we won't have to worry about that happening anytime soon." When they first met they were apprehensive of each other. In time they learned how beneficial working together could be.

"I'm home." a new voice said. The couple turned to see their oldest son Lucian enter the apartment they shared with their two younger children. While it was obvious he inherited his well-toned physique from his father. He inherited much of his looks from his mother. He had short dark brown hair that flowed just past his ears and clear blue eyes. He wore sneakers, blue jeans and a black T-shirt with a silver "S" logo in the middle.

"Where'd you get the shirt?" his mother asked him.

"Bought it on the way home." he replied as he dropped his backpack on the floor. Then he noticed his parents both looking at him intently. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No." They replied in unison.

"There's someone I want you to meet, son." Clark said as he stood. He sped-ran to his closet, changed into his bodysuit and returned. "Your grandfather."

"I thought he died when you were my age?" Lucian asked.

"Not your grandfather from Smallville." he corrected. "Your _other_ grandfather."

XxX

The two touched down outside the ship Clark repaired 17 years earlier. He thought it best to relocate it to Antarctica where it would be beyond the reach of the U.S. Military. Only Clark and his children could reach it without a much difficulty. Clark walked up to the door and used the key he carried to unlock the door. Once they were both inside the door closed behind them,

"What is this place?" Lucian asked as Clark powered up the computers.

"This is a ship that traveled to Earth from Krypton nearly 18,000 years ago, Lucian-El." A new voice said answer to his question. Lucian jumped back in surprise upon hearing the voice. This did little to cushion his surprise when Jor-El's holographic form materialized in front of him. "It may not be the ship your father came on and it may no longer fly but it still has its uses."

"How do know my name?" Lucian asked. "And how do you know my _other_ name?"

"This is actually our second meeting." Jor-El clarified as Clark stood next to him. "I was there the day you were born. Your father and I decided to wait until you were old enough to understand the truth about your unique heritage. How much does he know?"

"He knows I was born on Krypton, he knows I'm the Superman the world calls me and he knows how to control the powers he inherited from me." Clark was careful to emphasize the last part.

"I assumed as much given you flew here." Jor-El remarked, smiling. Then he returned his attention to his grandson once more. "Lucian, my name is Jor-El. We—your father and I—are from Krypton, which met its end 50 years ago. I am your grandfather. I'm pleased to see you have grown into a fine young man. Do you know what the symbol on your shirt stands for?"

"My father tells me that it's Kryptonian for Hope." he replied. "On Earth, my name means Light."

"Excellent." Jor-El said as a compartment nearby opened, revealing a body suit similar to the one Clark was wearing. This one had three parts. The first part was the black boots, which reached the knee. The second part was blue pants, which was completed with a silver belt. The final part, which covered his arms and torso was black save the silver and white "S" that spanned the chest region.

"Whoa." Lucian said as he walked over to it. "Is this mine?"

"Only if you're willing to accept the responsibility that comes with it." his father replied as he and Jor-El beamed with pride. Lucian looked at his father and grandfather before returning his attention to the suit once more. He ran his hand along the material, which felt exactly like his father's. His father was the epitome of what it meant to be from the house of El on earth.

"I accept."

XxX

"You will give the people an ideal to strive towards." Clark said as they stood atop The Daily planet, Lois watching from nearby. "They will race behind you, they will stumble, they will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun. In time, you will help them accomplish wonders." A fire had broken out on a high-rise aprtment building in the distance. Lucian happened to be visiting his parents when they learned about the fire. The time had come to introduce Lucian The "Superboy" to the world.

"Good luck out there." Lois said as she hugged her husband and son in turn. "Jimmy and I will be right behind you to get it on camera."

"We'll be home for dinner." Lucian said as he used his x-ray vision to pierce the thick, black smoke billowing from the building. "I'm counting fifteen people trapped on the upper floors."

"Sixteen." His father corrected, adding "One of them is pregnant. We'd better get moving."

"I'll just stand back now." Lois said as she moved away from them. The explosion of rushing air sounded as father and son took to the skies. She couldn't be prouder.

XxX

And there you have it.

There may or may not be a followup story. More likely there won't anytime soon. Like I said this was just something I had floating around in my head and I wrote it in one sitting. I've seen Man of Steel twice (Henry Cavill is AWESOME) and will see it in theaters at least two more times before I buy it on DVD and iTunes. As for the name Lucian I know that in the canon Superboy's name is Connor but I decided to follow Snyder's lead and go with something different.

I've noticed a lot of the hate this movie has been getting on various websites is coming from people who only read or watched reviews but haven't seen the movie themselves. See the movie yourself and form your own opinion.


End file.
